326 Report on the Exhibition and Trial of Implements. 



removed as by the other ploughs ;* but a little more power was consumed. 

 The work done was just 40 poles per hour, or 2i acres per day. 



These results enable us to give the cost of ploughing by Fowler's machine — 



s. d. 



An acre of light laud (according to rate of work done in trials) . . 6 



Ditto ditto (taking 6 acres per day as the average) . . 7 2 



An acre of heavy land 9 2 



Ditto ditto (trenched) 18 4 



Our estimate of the quality and value of the work thus performed is, that 

 the light land could not have been done by horse power for less than 8s. per 

 acre ; that the heavy land could not have been ploughed by horse power for 

 less than 12s. 6(i. per acre ; and that the trenching could not have been done 

 by horse ]iower at all ; and that by manual labour with the spade and grafting 

 tool it could not have been done for less than lOrf. per pole, or 6Z. 13s. 4c?. per 

 acre, and then only in a very inferior manner. 



Smith's " system of cultivation," as exhibited by Messrs. Howard, requires 

 two operations : the first with a strong s}iud-tined cultivator, which penetrates 

 the ground to a given depth (in this case 6 to 7 inches), and tears it up, leaving 

 the surface more or less in its original position ; while the second, with a 

 similar implement of larger dimensions, travelling in a transverse direction and 

 at the same depth, clears away any portions immoved by the first, and reverses 

 the whole of the top soil, exposing a rough irregular surface to the action of 

 the atmosphere. 



The principal trials took place on the heavy land at Blacon, when 4 acres 



3 roods were gone over by the first operation with the smaller cultivator 

 (3-tined, taking a breadth of 26 inches) in 10 hours 37 minutes. In the 

 second operation (with the 5-tined cultivator, taking a breadth of 48 inches), 



4 acres 3 roods 33 poles were finished in 4 hours 50 minutes, which, inclusive 

 of stoppages, &c., gave a result of work completed by the two operations of 

 about 5 acres in 15 hours, or 3^ acres per day. The daily working expenses 

 of this machine were estimated as follows : — 



£. s. d. 



Engineer 05 



Four men in field 10 



Boy 10 



Water-carting 05 



Removal 040 



Coals, lOcwt 10 



Oil, &c 10 



Interest 5 per cent., wear and tear 20 per 

 cent, on first cost (430L), taking 200 as 



the number of working days per year . . 10 9 



£2 6 9 



This shows that the work was done at a cost of 14s. per acre, while to effect 

 a similar result with the ordinary implements and horse-power three distinct 

 operations would be required, which could not be performed at less than IBs. 6c?. 

 per acre. 



These money results, satisfactory though they be, are not, we consider, the 



Land moved. 

 Breadth. Depth. 

 Inches. Inches. 

 * By ploughs . . . . . . . . 40 by 6 



Cotgreave's trenching dittp .. .. 20 by 12 



